Sign of the Times

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RONWEN

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I guess it's a sign of the times that Gerstner now offers versions of their wonderful tool chests & cabinets made in china.  For many, many years virtually all toolmaker apprentices & craftsmen dreamed of the day they could afford their own Gerstner chests.  It almost went hand in hand with made in the USA craftsmanship.

The Gerstner International products are 75%-80% cheaper than their U.S. made counterparts.

http://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp?pn=96M01.05&sid=WA601000&eid=WA601000&utm_source=mb-email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-email-1
http://www.gerstnerusa.com/CARTgallery5.htm

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I don't think it'll be too long before we're saying "Wow - it's made in China" - relative quality is on the climb. Then it'll follow that the prices will also climb.

I'm not suggesting next year, but certainly in my lifetime.
 
Kev said:
I don't think it'll be too long before we're saying "Wow - it's made in China" - relative quality is on the climb. Then it'll follow that the prices will also climb.

I'm not suggesting next year, but certainly in my lifetime.
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I remember in the middle 60's someone would say (as a joke) "Made in Japan, the sign of quality" and everyone listening would laugh uncontrollably.   [sad]  Most products from Japan that we saw back then were cheap stamped metal toys.

china is quite capable of producing highly complex precision products now.  The sad part is that we are helping them eat our lunch.
 
GhostFist said:
Can't beat building this sort of thing for yourself IMO.
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Way back before I got into engineering I was an apprentice toolmaker and I just didn't have the woodworking skills (or tools) to build something that nice so I bought the Kennedy chests.

Looking at it now it really would be a nice project to do sometime.
I work at a very slow pace for myself so I'm not sure where I would end up if I kept track of my time and assigned an hourly  dollar rate to myself.
 
"Red oak veneer over a plywood core."

That'll last long in a workshop!

It'll look like crap within days. Utter rubbish.
 
To me they should have come up with a new brand.  Tacking on 'international' to their prestigious brand name cheapens both, I think.  I had a similar opinion of General vs General International
 
The international line has been out for a few years and show up in a lot of mail order catalogs.

Agree - not the same thing as the originals.

If you want Gerstner, the real Gerstner, subscribe to their email list and they will send you notices of factory sales that happen in the summer.  They offer the original chests made in Ohio for like 30-35% off.  Best deal you'll find for a new one.

neil
 
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